Feeling Rebloggy
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"I’ve never had a shortage of friends, but in all of my friend groups, most of the people I spent time with were white, and I gave up a lot just to exist comfortably in proximity to their whiteness. I was exhausted all the time, coming home from parties and other hangouts emotionally drained because I had to silently tolerate yet another racist microaggression, or getting in arguments with some of my white friends about racism.
This is not to say that I don’t love my white friends, because I did and I still do, but it was frustrating to spend time in groups of people who would never be able to fully understand me or my life.
I wanted the solace of people who could actually relate to me, people who would say, “oh my God, me too!” and know exactly what I mean when I express that I’m too afraid to wear a bindi outside of my house. I wanted to stop biting my tongue when someone said something racist, and I wanted people to stop expecting me to be their teacher when it came to social issues. I wanted reflection, validation, and genuine empathy in an environment where I was being understood, not silenced."
by Shailee Koranne
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http://gutsmagazine.ca/featured/bonds-of-colour
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